Steps to incorporate a company in Guatemala

Generally, there are 6 key steps to incorporate your company in Guatemala.

1. Seek advice from local market entry and legal experts

Team discussing how to incorporate a company in Guatemala
Before expanding a business, it’s important to establish a road map or market entry strategy.
Seek advice from local legal and market entry experts to incorporate a company in Guatemala, in order to ensure you can set up and begin operations in full compliance with the law. These experts will help you choose the most appropriate pathway to expansion for your business needs.

Appointing a legal representative
Companies in Guatemala require a Legal Representative to act on their behalf on local legal matters. The Legal Representative is responsible for ensuring the legal compliance of the company with local regulations. They are obliged to act in the company’s best interests in this role.

It’s recommended to engage with local experts in appointing this role, as they are able to fully understand the company’s obligations in accordance with commercial and corporate law, and ensure your company’s compliance.

2. Choose the appropriate legal entity based on your business needs

When it comes to scaling your business to other countries and incorporating a company in Guatemala, you must decide on the:

– size of the company
– number of partners
– company’s objectives
– capital contribution you must make upfront to start operations.

From this information, you can select the appropriate legal entity to incorporate in Guatemala.

In Guatemala, as in other countries in the region, there are various types of companies. Of the entities on offer in Guatemala, 2 entities typically offer the best opportunities to foreign executives in terms of protection of their assets. These are the Limited Liability Company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada) and the Public Limited Company (Sociedad Anónima).

Limited Liability Company – Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL)
This commercial company can be constituted with a minimum of 2 partners and a maximum of 20. The SRL in Guatemala allows executives to appoint a board of directors for its governing body or be managed by a single Director.

Public Limited Company – Sociedad Anónima (SA)
People walking past a window in a high-rise building
The Sociedad Anónima entity tends to be more popular for multinationals when seeking to incorporate a company in Guatemala.
The Sociedad Anónima or SA is a legal entity which can be constituted through 2 or more shareholders. This offers the opportunity to scale the number of partners.

These shareholders can be natural or legal persons. An SA can appoint a Board of Directors or a single individual or Manager as its governance structure.

The capital contribution will be represented by negotiable titles called shares, and there is no limit to the maximum share capital or number of shareholders.

3. Choose the company name

Highlight your product or the quality of your service by choosing a relevant, suitable name for your company. For SRL and SA entities, the company name choice has few restrictions, except that in for the Limited Liability Company (SRL), the name must refer to its commercial objective.

Company names must be unique. It is therefore recommended to think of at least 3 possible names for your company in Guatemala to ensure the availability of a preferred name.

4. Register company statutes and incorporation articles with the Public Notary

A key institution that supports company incorporation in Guatemala is the Public Notary. This institution will formalize the company statutes – the internal regulations of the company – in a public deed. These statutes outline the details decided upon in Step 1 (company size, shareholders, objective and capital, and the governance of the company.

Shareholders must also sign the articles of incorporation so that the new company can be duly registered before the Guatemalan Mercantile Registry.

The Notary will also formalize the appointment of the company’s legal representative. This document will be required at the time of registering the company in the Mercantile Registry.

5. Payment of fees, edicts, appointments and registration

Companies must pay certain fees associated with company incorporation in Guatemala, including the right to register the company, publication of the company, and also appointment rights.

6. Register the company with the Mercantile Registry

The final step to incorporate a company in Guatemala is to register the company with the Mercantile Registry (Registro Mercantil). This can be done in person or through the agency’s online portal.

Required documentation for this step includes:

– public deed of constitution
– certificate of appointment of legal representative(s)
– identification of business owner(s)
– tax domicile of the company
– receipts or other proof of payment of fees.

The Mercantile Registry will then authorize the company’s books, the printing company that will process the invoices and the details of the company’s tax system.

Once the process is approved by the Mercantile Registry and the country’s tax authority, the decision will be published

How we can help you

If you are considering forming a business or you need expert help with company registration in Guatemala, LegalGenius™ is ready to assist you with its skilled team of lawyers, consultants and tax experts. We are committed to making the process as stress-free and streamlined as possible for you, and we will take care of all your document preparation and administrative tasks regarding the registration forms, payment of government fees, local address registration, banking support, etc., whilst always keeping your exact objectives and unique vision in mind throughout the process.

Please use our Company Formation Wizard if you would like to set up your registered company in Guatemala or if you would like to know the costs involved prior to proceeding with our exceptional services. For other queries and special requests for complex or customised company formation services, please contact us at legal@7geniusgroup.com